Francis v



(No Model.)

P. V. GREENE.

RAIL FOR STREET RAILROADS.

No; 341,416. Patented May 4, 188 6.

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PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS V. GREENE, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

RAIL FO R STREE'l'- RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,416, dated May 4. 1886.

Application filed December 28, 1885. Serial No. 186.910. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS V. GREENE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State 5 of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rails for Street-Railroads, of which the followingis a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompany ing drawings.

My invention relates to the construction of street-railways, and to a compound rail used in the construction of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a track for street-railways which will be practically imperishable, so that no repairs are needed to the sleepers or substructure, and at the same time admit of the rail being removed when worn out and replaced by a new one without disturbing the remainder of the track.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of the street, showing my improved rails embedded therein to form the track. Fig. 2 is a sectional end view of the left-hand track. Fig.8 is a longitudinal view, partly in 5 section,of my compound rail. Fig. 4 is a see tional end view of the right-hand track,showing a tierod for joining the two rails when necessary.

A indicates the sleeper or hearing rail, which is made of cast-iron, of any convenient or desirable length, but preferably about ten feet in length, and weighing about one hundred and forty pounds to the yard. The sleeper is cast with a longitudinal cavity or cavities, and with projecting flanges e f at the bottom, which gives to the sleeper a greater bearing-surface and a better hold in the hydraulic-cement base in which it is embedded. The top of the sleeper or bearing-rail A is made ofirregular form, as shown, to receive the rail B,which forms the track. The railB is made of steel or wrought iron, said railbeing provided with a groove, 0, in its upper surface to receive the flange of the wheel, the lower side of the rail being provided near its outer edge with a tongue, 9, which fits into the groove 71., formed in the upper side of the sleeper A. The inner edge of the rail B is provided with a shoulder, 7a, which rests against an offset, Z, on the sleeper, which effectually prevents any lateral motion of the rail, and no lateral strain is brought on the bolts which secure the upper rail to the sleepers A. The rail 13, by reason of its peculiar form, is center-bearing-i. 0., the head of the rail which supports the wheel of the car is placed centrally with reference to the sleeper below it. This is an important feature of my invention, as it prevents an unequal pressure on one side of the sleeper, and also obviates the tendency of the sleeper to turn around on its longitudinal axis, thus deranging its position. The sleepers A and rails B are laid so as to break joint, and the rail B is secured to the sleeper A by means of bolts l),wl1ich pass through holes or slots formed in the same and enter the nut plate or bar E. The nut-plates E are adapted to fit within the upper portion ofthe cavity (1 of the sleeper A, said cavity being provided with lugs m, which prevents the nut-plate from falling down into the bottom of the cavity (1 when the bolt-s are un screwed. By this arrangement the bolts Dare not affected by the vibrations of the rail and sleeper, which would have a constant tendency to shake the bolt and cause it to unscrew from the nut-plate. These nut'plates are ordinarily about sixteen to eighteen inches in length, and one of them is placed under the joint of adjacent rails and another under the joint of adjacent sleepers, and still another at the middle of each sleeper.

As before mentioned, the sleepers are ordinarily about ten feet long and the rails twenty feet long, so that the fastening between the rails and sleepers by the bolts and nut-plates occurs at about every five feet. The nut-plates in the middle of the sleepers may be made much longer than those at the ends of the sleeperssay five or six feet in length-so that they can be readily placed in position from the open end of the sleeper. As already intimated, the openings in the rails or sleepers through which the bolts pass may bein the form of slots, so that provision is made for expansion and contraction caused by thermal changes. The sides of the rail B and the sleeper A are in the same vertical plane. This allows the pavement, whether of blocks or concrete,to be fitted closely to the sleeper and rail, thus giving them a firm lateral support, and, by leaving no vacant space between the rail and pavement, prevents the pavement from being worn into a rut along the rail. The flanges e andf at the bottom of the sleep er pass under the pavement, and thus throw the weight of the pavement onto the sleeper, to aid in keeping it firmly fixed in its place. By these means the necessity for cross-ties or junction-bars uniting the two lines of sleepers are entirely done away with, provided the sleepers are firmly embedded in concrete and a substantial concrete or granite block pavement is laid between them. I prefer to lay the tracks in this manner; but there are cases in which this method of construction is undesirable on account of its cost, and it becomes necessary to lay a less durable pavement, which may not offer suificient lateral strength to maintain the proper gage or width between the rails. In such cases the sleepers are laid on the natural earth and tied together at proper intervals by the usual wrought iron tie-bars with screws and nuts, as shown at s t u, Fig. 4. The earth or pavement is then filled in to the grade of the top of the rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A metallic sleeper for the rails of streetrailroads, having its upper side adapted to receive the tongue and shoulder of the bearingrail, said sleeper being provided with an internal longitudinal compartment for holding and retaining the nut-plate, as set forth.

2. A metallic sleeper for street-railroads, having an internal cavity, (1, provided with ledges 1n, adapted to hold the nut-plate when the bolts are released.

3. The sleeper A, adapted to receive and support the rail B, in combination with the nut-plate E, located within a cavity in the sleeper, and the screw-bolts D, as set forth.

4. The combination, in street-railroads, of the sleepers A, having the lateral flanges e and f, and vertical sides, as shown, and an inter nal cavity to receive the nut-plate, with the rail B and nuts or bolts D, as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

F. V. GREENE.

Witnesses:

J OHN T. ARMS, L. W. SINSABAUGH. 

